:: Thiruvananthapuram City Police ::

Women is amongst the most vulnerable sections in any social order Everyday. Several innocent women are subjected to various forms of distress, eve-teasing, molestation, matrimonial disputes and more. And what makes such incidents happen again and again, is the women's silence. Silence out of fear. Or to avoid scandal. Or out of a misplaced sense of devotion. But no woman need suffer so. All they need to do is to call Helpline at 1091, attended round the clock by trained Policewomen. The Helpline not only provides an emotional pad to women in distress, but also access to voluntary social organisations and legal aid cells. So, you no longer have to suffer in silence. Now there's someone to share your problems with and to take care of the women in stress.

A large number of children are also facing violence at the hands of the strangers, family members and others known to them. Such abuse may take place at Schools, transporting vehicles and even at homes. The violence may be in the form of psychological abuse or actual physical abuse. Victims in most cases cannot take recourse to the criminal justice system for a variety of reasons including the fear of social stigma and lack of knowledge about the institutions, that could come to their rescue. In order to provide necessary assistance to such victims, especially children under abuse, anybody can ring up the above Helpline round the clock

Wife beaters beware! What lies in store for you is jail. For what could be called India's first law aimed at controlling domestic violence. Men who beat or threaten wives could be jailed and fined under the law. The new law, which has came into effect applies to men or their families who harass wives for larger dowries too. The law targets preventing cases in which a husband or his family kills a wife because her family did not give dowry. The Domestic Violence Act defines abuse broadly, including verbal, physical, sexual, emotional and economic mistreatment. Violators face up to a year in prison, a fine of Rs 20,000 or both. Around 70 per cent of women are victims of violent acts. The new law has provisions for abused women to complain directly to judges instead of police. Once a complaint has been registered, it is up to the man to prove that he did not abuse his wife. The law also ensures the woman's right to stay in the family home. Giving the thumbs up to the new legislation, women's rights activists and civic groups termed it as the victory for the women's movement in this country which has been fighting for years for laws that protect the basic rights of womenfolk.